Behr Stain Remover

by Mary Ann
(Cortez, CO)

Q. I have Behr concrete stain on my large patio. It is peeling off over the complete surface. A new contractor says he thinks we need to grind the very top surface of the concrete to remove the old product and to open the pores for an acid stain. Do you agree or should we just use a stripper to remove the Behr product? My concrete has a very smooth finish.

A. The new contractor is probably right. You can try a stripper on a small section but even if it does remove the stain on the surface there may still be some in the small pores of the concrete surface.

Lightly grinding the surface will remove the stain but may also slightly change the texture of the surface. Have him try a small area first or show you a sample of what it will look like.

Go look at some of his similar projects, make sure he/she is experienced at doing this. It is easy to damage the surface when grinding. If done right (slightly polished), you may like the results better than what you thought it would look like.